Effect of Ecological Environments on Students' Metacognition and English Learning Performance of Secondary School Students of Badulla Educational Zone in Sri Lanka

In literature, there is a dearth of studies exploring the influence of ecological factors on metacognition and English language learning performance, particularly in the context of secondary education in Sri Lanka. This study investigates how ecological factors influence metacognition and English language learning performance in secondary school students in Sri Lanka to fill these empirical and contextual knowledge gaps. The study used a quantitative method with a survey for collecting data, adhering to a positivist philosophy in a deductive approach. Primary data were collected from 290 secondary school students in the Badulla Educational Zone, Sri Lanka. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data and the data were analysed employing both descriptive statistics and the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). Key findings imply that ecological environments positively impact secondary students' English language learning performance and metacognition. The study further revealed that the metacognition of secondary school students has a significant influence on English language learning performance and the metacognition has a mediating effect on the relationship between ecological environments and the English language learning performance of secondary school students. Thus, the results imply that conducive ecological settings improve the English language learning performance of secondary school students. This further highlighted how crucial it is to promote metacognition and productive learning conditions to enhance the English language proficiency of secondary school students.